The Patna Pirates put up a masterclass against U Mumba to register a resounding 44-23 victory and inch closer to a 2023-24 Pro Kabaddi League play-off spot on Saturday. The Pirates moved to the fourth spot in the standings post the victory.
Mayur Kadam and Krishan pulled off tackle points as the Pirates inched ahead at 3-1 in the fourth minute. Sudhakar also joined the party with a double-point raid and helped the Pirates extend their lead further. Jai Bhagwan tried to break through the Patna defence line, but the three-time champions stood tall and held the lead at 9-6 in the 11th minute.
Babu M tackled Amirmohammad Zafardanesh and reduced the U Mumba side to just two members on the mat in the 14th minute. The Pirates rode on the momentum and inflicted an all out soon after to take a big lead at 15-8.
Sudhakar continued to showcase his brilliance as the Pirates kept forging ahead. The two teams went into the break with the Pirates side leading 19-10.
Krishan picked up a couple of tackle points in the opening minutes of the second half as the Pirates continued to dominate the match at 21-13.
Sachin Tanwar effected a magnificent raid and reduced U Mumba to just three members on the mat in the 28th minute.
The Pirates inflicted another all out in the 35th minute and extended their lead further at 33-19.
The Pirates continued to put relentless pressure on their opponents for the rest of the match and eventually wrapped up a comprehensive victory.
Bengal Warriors beat Telugu Titans
The Bengal Warriors inflicted a heavy 55-35 loss on the Telugu Titans to take a much-deserved victory in front of their home crowd later in the day. Nitin Kumar's brilliant 13 points and Maninder Singh's eight points helped the Warriors through.
Within seven minutes into the first half, Warriors had inflicted the first all out of the game to surge into a 11-3 lead.
Singh, in particular, scythed through the Titans' defence in those early exchanges setting the tone for an ultimately fruitful evening.
While Singh kept his looming threat large on the Titans, Kumar quietly went about his business as the other raider to keep hurting them with touch points and limiting their numbers on the mat.
A second all out came with two minutes of the first half left, as the Warriors took a comprehensive 12-point lead at the break.
S Vishwas's super raid early in the second half started yet another Titans collapse which led to a third all out, as a victory looked all but sealed.
For the Warriors though, this was a chance not just to get the points but also boost their point differential and hope to make the playoffs.
They never let up and another super raid, this time by Kumar, to take out Shankar Gadai, Mohit and Milad Jabbari saw the Warriors inflict a fourth all out to take a massive 49-21 lead.
The Titans put the Warriors in trouble right at the end of the game, but even then the former champions’ spirit showed through.
A series of super tackles by Dipak Shinde meant that the Titans couldn't really close the gap. The Titans finally did get their all out though, with 10 seconds on the clock remaining, too little to change the result. The Warriors took the massive 20-point victory with glee.